Mark Schenkel
Professor of Entrepreneurship and Department Chair of Entrepreneurship
Jack C. Massey College of Business
Biography
Dr. Mark Schenkel is Professor and Department Chair of entrepreneurship at Belmont University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in entrepreneurship. He earned a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a focus on Strategy and Entrepreneurship from the University of Cincinnati, a Master of Business Administration from Northern Kentucky University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Cincinnati. He served as Assistant Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship Education and Research and Coordinator of Small Business Institute® Field Case Study program at the University of Cincinnati from 2003-2005. His entrepreneurial experience includes more than a decade of service in a variety of leadership roles in closely held family firms with chief responsibility for developing and implementing strategies for achieving business growth and profitability objectives.His research and teaching interests focus on the roles that cognition (e.g., ideation, opportunity identification and assessment) and strategic decision-making play in new venture creation, corporate venturing, and family business settings. His research has appeared in leading academic journals such as Academy of Management Review, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, Journal of Small Business Management, New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, International Small Business Journal, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Journal of Small Business Strategy, Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, Management Research News, and Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research among others. His work has been recognized with numerous awards at national and international academic conferences. Belmont recognized his scholarship through the University Scholarship Award in 2018 and chose him to represent the university as its 2014 nominee for the U.S. Professors of the Year award through the Counsel for Advancement and Support of Education.
Dr. Schenkel actively consults with local startups and serves on boards in middle Tennessee. He maintains professional affiliations with the Academy of Management, International Council for Small Business, and United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship where he served as President in 2018. He was named a Justin G. Longenecker Fellow (USASBE) and as a Wilford L. White Fellow (ICSB) in recognition of his research, leadership in entrepreneurship education, and unwavering advocacy for start-up and small business development. He currently serves as co-editor for Journal of Small Business & Enterprise Development, is a past associate editor of Journal of Small Business Management, and maintains active roles on the editorial review boards of other scholarly journals. At Belmont, he serves as a founding faculty adviser to the Sigma Nu Tau Entrepreneurship Honor Society, Bigs@Belmont (Big Brothers Big Sisters), and its Collegiate DECA chapter.
- Ph.D., University of Cincinnati, Business Administration (Strategy & Entrepreneurship)
- M.B.A., Northern Kentucky University, Management
- B.A., University of Cincinnati, Psychology (Magna Cum Laude)
- Commercial pilot & Certified flight instructor (400+ hours), instrument rated
- Professor, Department Chair, Belmont University
- Co-Editor, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
- Associate Editor, Journal of Small Business Management
- Instructor, University of Cincinnati
- Operations Manager, The Habegger Corporation
- General Manager, David E. Estes Engineering, Inc.
- Assistant Controller, The Hennegan Co.
- Operations / Warehouse Manager, Wright Brothers, Inc.
- Sales Associate, Montgomery Cyclery
- Schenkel, M. T., Haug, A., Klyver, K., & Schlicter, J. (2025). Towards a Theory of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Technology Fit in SMEs. Journal of Small Business Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/00472778.2025.2461033
- Schenkel, M. T., McDowell, W. C., & Brazeal, D. V. (2024). Business model novelty and small firm innovativeness: the relationship with need for closure and creative self-efficacy. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 20(1), 141-162.
- Costa, S., Tegtmeier, S., Santos, S. C., & Schenkel, M. T. (2024). Special Issue Guest Editorial: The Challenges of Experimental Designs in Entrepreneurship Education Research-An Interview with Thomas D. Cook. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 7(1), 3-21.
- Khurana, I., Dutta, D., Schenkel, M. T. (2022). Crisis and Arbitrage Opportunities: The Role of Causation, Effectuation and Entrepreneurial Learning. International Small Business Journal, 40(2): 236-272. https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426211061679.
- Klyver, K., Schenkel, M. T., Nielsen, M. S. (2020). Can’t Always Get What I Want: Cultural Expectations of Emotional Support in Entrepreneurship. International Small Business Journal, 38(7): 677-690.
- Schenkel, M. S., Farmer, S., & Maslyn, J. (2019). Process Improvement in SMEs: The Impact of Harmonious Passion for Entrepreneurship, Employee Creative Self-Efficacy, and Time Spent Innovating. Journal of Small Business Strategy, 29(1): 71-84.
- Harding, L. & Schenkel, M. T. (2017). Brand Advertising in an Access–Ownership World: How Marketing Channels Impact Message Persuasiveness. Journal of Marketing Channels, 24(1-2): 51-72.
- Schenkel, M. T., Yoo, S. S., & Kim, J. (2016). Not All Created Equal: Examining the Impact of Birth Order and Role Identity among Descendant CEO Sons on Family Firm Performance. Family Business Review, 29(4): 380-400.
- Wilford L. White Fellow. International Council for Small Business (2023)
- Best Quantitative Paper Award. Entrepreneurship Competency Development: In Search of Common Ground. 21st Nordic Conference on Small Business Research (2022)
- Best Conceptual Paper Award. Competency Based Training and Education of Entrepreneurs: A Structural Model. United States Association for Small Business and
- Justin G. Longenecker Fellow. United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. (2020)
- Belmont University Scholarship Award (2019)
- U.S. Professors of the Year, Counsel for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Award Nominee, Belmont University (2014)
- College of Business, Outstanding Service Award (2011-2012)
- College of Business Outstanding Scholarly Activity Award (2007-2008; 2013-2014)
- Beta Gamma Sigma honor society inductee (1999)
- Phi Beta Kappa honor society inductee (1995)
Jack C. Massey College of Business
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